Education Ministry interns give work experience high marks
Minister Tara Rivers (centre) with the Ministry of Education, Employment & Gender Affairs summer interns (L-R) Zhané Rambaran, Selena Smith, Hailee Robinson and Dominique Small
(CNS): This summer, four college students took up various internships at the Ministry of Education, Employment & Gender Affairs as part of official efforts to help them receive the hands-on experience needed for the working world. Minister Tara Rivers met with each intern last week to find out how they assisted staff and about their current and future education and career goals.
“It was important to me to meet the young, aspiring adults that were interning in my ministry, to thank them for their contributions and to learn more about them and their career goals,” Rivers said. “It was truly a pleasure to take some time out of my day and chat with these very mature and capable young ladies. I’d like to publicly thank them for their assistance over the summer, and I am delighted to hear that some of them will be staying on in a part-time capacity as they finish their degrees locally.”
Selena Smith is interning with the Scholarship Secretariat, supporting them with processing applications during the peak time in the scholarship season with new applicants being approved and students going off to college in September. Smith is attending the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) to obtain her associate’s degree in business administration.
“I want to work in an office setting and having this experience in the ministry is allowing me to experience what it’s like working in an office and what it’s like working in Government,” Smith said.
Dominique Small, who is also studying at UCCI to obtain her associate’s degree in business administration, is working in the ministry’s Finance Unit, specifically in relation to financial reporting. Small said she enjoyed her experience. “I like the fact that I can put into reality what I have learnt in the classroom and also see how different the working world is. I’m very grateful for the experience I have gained this summer,” she said.
Also supporting the finance team is Zhané Rambaran, who has completed her associate’s degree in science at UCCI. She is helping with transactions and did not expect to enjoy finance so much. “I did my associate’s in science because I took a few accounting courses and did not enjoy them. But now that I am in the ministry, the finance team told me to give them a chance as I may actually enjoy the work, and I do,” she said.
“My experience has shown me how very different the classroom setting can be to actually using the information learned in the real working world. I’m very much enjoying working with the Finance Unit and I may reconsider my career choices now that I have had this experience.”
Hailee Robinson has completed her bachelor’s degree in international development and anthropology at McGill University, and this September will attend Bristol University for a master’s in law. Robinson has been working in the Gender Affairs Unit as well providing support with the public consultation process for the Labour Relations Bill, 2015 and the National Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
“I’m really happy to get to learn about the process of developing legislation and get to actually read the laws and be involved in the public consultation process. This will definitely assist me as I pursue my degree in law,” she said.
College students studying either locally or overseas who are interested in interning with the ministry can call 244-2417 or email their resume to the ministry’s Human Resources Unit.
Category: Education
